


A New Tradition: An Inky Roses Holiday One Shot

by Birdgirl90



Series: Marvel Reader Inserts [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, it's just really fluffy, there's a hint at smut at the end but it's just an implication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:40:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27843130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdgirl90/pseuds/Birdgirl90
Summary: You've never really spent a lot of time dwelling on the holidays.  After all, there's so much to do with the shop - flower orders and making sure everything else is running smoothly.  But when Loki proposes something different to do together, you find you can't turn him down.  The end result is better than anything you could have hoped for; maybe you'll enjoy the holidays yet.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Series: Marvel Reader Inserts [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1135457
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	A New Tradition: An Inky Roses Holiday One Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Readers!  
> I wrote this holiday one shot to go with my story Inky Roses.   
> I love the holidays and it's the perfect excuse for fluff!  
> Please enjoy!  
> ~Birdie

“We should make cookies.”

Loki says it as if it is nothing, just casually tossing it out into the air while the two of you eat lunch at the cafe down the street from the shops. You raise an eyebrow. You know he can cook - he’s made you dinner and breakfast on several occasions and has even begun to teach you (your skills are finally going beyond ramen and mac n cheese!), and he’s really good at it. You didn’t realize he could bake too, though really you shouldn’t be surprised. Loki is kind of magical in some regards; every time you think you’ve learned everything about him, something else pops up. 

“Should we?” you ask, the idea still a bit foreign to you. “I don’t...I haven’t actually done that.”

Loki looks at you as if you’re crazy. He quickly recovers, but you can still see the puzzlement in his features.

“You’ve never made holiday cookies?” he asks in response. “Like...not even as a kid?”

“Well, I mean, my mom and I were never particularly close, and with the shop running flower orders like crazy, there really wasn’t opportunity,” you explain quietly. “We were lucky if we made time to put the tree up before Christmas eve.”

“That sounds...hard,” Loki says sympathetically. “Did you ever make gingerbread houses even?”

You shake your head, and something almost lonely tugs at you.

“I’ve always kind of wondered what normal people’s holidays are like,” you tell him. “Like people who aren’t raised to take on a business. Thor and I usually throw the tree up and order take out; no baking there either. Sometimes I light candles to make it smell more...festive?”

Loki makes a thoughtful hum before taking another bite of his grilled cheese sandwich. You glance out the window; it’s overcast and grey, and the wind is biting. You’re glad you wore a sweater today, though you’re kind of wishing you brought a coat. You look back at the man before you, your eyes trailing up the winding vines and flowers that cover his arm. How he managed to survive in a tee shirt today, you’ll never know.

“Is baking cookies a thing for you?” you ask after a moment. “Do you do it a lot?”

Softness fills Loki’s features and he sighs a little, then offers you a gentle smile.

“My mom and I would bake when I was growing up,” he tells you. “We made cookie plates for all the neighbors. After...everything, I didn’t bake for the longest time; I didn’t really do anything for the holidays. I was too angry. But being with you makes me want to do it again.”

A warmth fills you at his confession, that you’re the reason he’s getting back into the swing of the holidays. You can imagine it well, a young Loki and his mother baking side by side. Perhaps he sat on the counter and held the bowl while she added ingredients, and maybe they listened to Christmas music while they worked. You smile at the thought, even as it perhaps feels a bit bittersweet too. If this is what he wants to do, then by all means, you aren’t going to deny him. And maybe it’ll be fun for you too. 

A new tradition, maybe, and that thought makes you feel a bit giddy. A new tradition with him.

“Alright,” you say, still smiling. “I’m up for it. Thor can cover closing for me.”

Loki beams at you, then stands up to give you a kiss.

***************************

After having gathered all the ingredients for gingerbread cookies, you stand in Loki’s small kitchen with an apron on. Loki had insisted you wear the apron because “cookies get messy” and he didn’t want you to get your sweater to get dirty. You can’t imagine it being that messy but you let him tie the strings behind your back anyway, shivering a bit as he kisses your neck. He puts Christmas music on, his phone playing away, and twirls you once in the kitchen before getting to work.

“Coffee is important,” he tells you as he brews a pot, perhaps a little stronger than what you normally drink. “Plus it’s good for when they’re done baking too.”

You nod and then look over the recipe. The abbreviations are confusing; you have no idea the differences between tablespoons and teaspoons even. Sure you took home economics in high school, but that was a very long time ago. There’s a small pang in your chest as you realize that you seriously missed out on some opportunities growing up. What would it have been like to have a mother who taught you to bake and cook and do anything besides flowers?

“I’m so confused by the directions,” you tell Loki sheepishly. “What do we do?”

He laughs and kisses the tip of your nose.

“We start by preheating the oven,” he says. “And don’t worry so much. This is fun. I’ll show you.”

“Alright,” you say with a grin. “Teach me.”

The afternoon passes quickly. Loki is a great teacher, and he never makes you feel dumb for asking questions about things that should be obvious. Once you settle into a grove, you realize how well the two of you work together. It’s a team thing, and it’s fun as you stand side by side, mixing ingredients and rolling dough. There’s a lot of laughter; it’s comfortable and cozy, and when songs come on that both of you know, you sing together. Loki keeps trying to find excuses to kiss you, to the point where it’s a wonder that anything gets done. 

At last, though, the cookies are in the oven - little gingerbread men rolled thick enough to be chewy. Loki leans next to you on the counter, wearing a content smile. The whole kitchen smells delightful, like ginger and sugar, better than any candle you could burn. 

“What do you think?” Loki asks, and there’s a slight teasing edge to his voice mingled with fondness. “It’s not too hard, right?”

“Nah,” you reply happily. “This is...possibly the most relaxed I’ve ever been during the holidays. I didn’t realize baking could be so therapeutic.”

“I’m glad. We just have to make icing so we can decorate them,” Loki tells you, pleased. “That’s the easiest part.”

In the mixer, the two of you add milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a paste. You’re in charge of adding the powdered sugar, and you think you’re doing a pretty good job. You make the mistake of looking up at Loki, though, and in that brief moment, the bag tips, spilling powdered sugar in a huge cloud. This wouldn’t be a big deal, except the mixer is going at a fairly high speed and, well, suddenly everything is covered in white. Loki quickly turns the mixer off but not before everything is covered in the white stuff.

“I’m sorry!” you squeak out, looking at the mess all over the counter. “I didn’t mean to!”

There’s a pause, but Loki starts laughing. When you look up at him, you can’t stop your own giggles from spilling forth. He’s covered in powdered sugar, the white stuff sprinkled in his dark hair and across his face and chest. He looks absolutely ridiculous, and you can’t stop laughing at the absurdity of it; he always looks so classy, that bad boy persona that you’ve come to see through, and here he is, in the kitchen, covered in powdered sugar and snickering at you. Your laughter feeds into his laughter, and soon enough, both of you are doubling over. At last, he catches his breath, his eyes sparkling as he takes you in.

“It’s all over you,” he says breathlessly. His hands start brushing your hair, dusting you off. “Oh dear, it’s not coming out.”

You snicker, then reach up to try to dust his own hair off, and you only end up making it worse. 

“Oh no, I got it all over you, too,” you say, still grinning. “What do we do?”

Loki’s green eyes burn with mischief, and he leans down to whisper lowly in your ear.

“I have some ideas,” he all but breathes against you, making you shiver at the implications in his voice.

You swallow, trying to regain composure. Loki’s eyes are dark and he tilts your chin up so that he can kiss you, deep and hard.

Suddenly, the timer dings on for the cookies and Loki pulls back quickly. 

“While the cookies cool, I think we’ll clean up,” he tells you with a wink, then grabs an oven mitt. Once the cookies are on the rack, he grabs your hand and leads you to the shower.

This, you decide, is definitely your new favorite tradition.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Readers!  
> I hope you enjoyed this silly one shot.  
> As always, I love to hear your thoughts!  
> See you at the next story!  
> ~Birdie


End file.
